Dharavi gets a splash of colour and ideas

On November 24 all roads in Dharavi led to Colour Box the new workshop and exhibition hub that opened its doors out of a rented pottersrsquo twostoreyed home It was conceptualised by David Osrin a pediatrician and public health researcher Nayreen Daruwalla who has a doctorate in social psychology DipeshThakker who has a background in finance and Benita Fernando the communications coordinator and writer for the Dharavi Biennale Colour Box overlooks Dharavirsquos pottersrsquo colony Fernando explains how the idea took shape ldquoHaving worked closely with communities in Dharavi for over a decade we realised that there wasnrsquot an exhibition space to showcase their talent in the area This coincided with our search for a gallery and workshop space for the Dharavi Biennale where artists can work experiment collaborate and hold exhibitions of their artworks made from recycled materials So Colour Box is a space for our initiative as well as for artists in and beyond Dharavi It is an lsquoimproperly properrsquo art galleryrdquo From left Cofounders David Osrin and Nayreen Daruwalla Build the framework It took the team six months to find a place They commenced work in September and two months went into readying the space ldquoIt is an intentionally unfinished space since we wanted to retain the original nuances of the house and transform the interiors over and over again to suit different exhibition designsrdquo explains Fernandou00a0She states that the location itself proved a hurdle ldquoProperty is as difficult to find in Dharavi as in the rest of Mumbai We hunted for potential spaces from little restaurants to houses in narrow gullies for almost half a year Finally we found a place on the main road yet very accessible to Kumbharwada the pottersrsquo colonyrdquo The house which the team rented from a potter has a ground floor and an upper floor both of which can be used for exhibitions Dharavirsquos women created sarees with slogans against rape They used appliqueacute techniques to place symbolsu00a0on them Pics Nimesh Dave Whatrsquos in store In December 2013 the space will host two Art Boxes workshops Illustrator Chaitanya Modak will host a comicsmaking session while Trishna Prakash will work with locals to represent the spread of Sexually Transmitted Infections on clay pots Every Art Box includes a mentor artist who collaborates with the emerging artists to produce art Materials like steel jars and cloth which are easily available are used as canvas The Dharavi Biennale in February 2015 will be the first major event at the space Organised by the Society for Nutrition Education and Health Action SNEHA it will be the sequel to Dekha Undekha a project 20112012 that ended as an exhibition of ceramic ware photographs and embroidery designs titled Ghar Pe The Dharavi Biennale 2015 aims to weave together health research and art ldquoThe goal is to acknowledge the contribution of locals from Dharavi to Indiarsquos economic and cultural life Secondly we hope to democratise the sharing of information on urban health science It is a festival of the people and for the people of Dharavirdquo observes Fernando Exhibits made by Dharavi residents Art of the matter ldquoWe address issues of health and gender We will have structural pieces from recycled materials upcycled furniture textiles and graphic art There will be sitespecific installations and events including drama music and an art trailrdquo she elaborates Before the Biennale they plan to host exhibitions resulting from the workshops as well as puppet shows multimedia installations movie screenings and street performances Look into the colour box gtgt The Dharavi Biennale began this February with Art Boxes by artists Nika Feldman and Susie Vickery on the rape of Nirbhaya Dharavi women created sarees with slogans against rape and used appliqueacute techniques to place symbols of protection on them gtgtu00a0An Art Box in June 2013 by graphic designer Chaitanya Modak had schoolgoing as well as elderly participants creating comics about health issues gtgtu00a0The latest Art Box was held in October 2013 and was led by Khushboo Bharti art professor from Jaipurrsquos Indian Institute of Craft and Design Participants did video interviews with locals and created their own health signs that were displayed in Dharavirsquos pharmacy shops garbage disposal sites and gathering spots gtgtu00a0Now showing Visitors can currently browse through exhibits from previous projects like the Provoke Protect sarees the Comics Corner health signs and Dream Girls exhibits from the earlier exhibition Ghar Pe u00a0 At Colour Box opposite Sai Hospital Kumbharwada 90 Feet Road Dharavi Log on to httpswwwfacebookcom dharavibiennaleu00a0